Chapter 1) Escape!
Renais has fallen, and my village, those few that hadn't evacuated yet, has been slaughtered. The very idea is hard to wrap my head around, but I suppose that's just how war is. What's weirder, though, is that I'm traveling with Princess Eirika and General Seth. I had only ever seen them from a distance before, and it's strange that I'd be anywhere near them.
Everything is strange. I can barely keep up.
"Shift your feet more, and bend your knees for balance." General Seth gave the instructions literally half a second before he struck, catching the side of my lance with his sheathed sword. The impact made my hands sting and actually knocked me off my feet. I barely had a chance to catch myself before he attacked again. "Once more."
"Give me a break!" I struggled to get my footing, and felt tangled up. "I'm-"
"Tired, yes, you like the word." He struck again when I glowered and I nearly fell, just barely catching myself on one leg. "You should come up with another."
"Why the hell should I come up with a new one, and where the hell do you think I'm going to find the energy to think of a different one!" Angry, I just swung wildly and, awkwardly, I actually… caught him in the face. "A-ah…"
"And that is why untrained is more dangerous than half-trained." He stepped back and absently rubbed at the red mark on his face. He gave me a look when I suddenly started giggling. "Is hitting me in the face amusing?"
"Oh, no, not exactly." My legs were shaky. They, and my arms, didn't appreciate all the practicing. "I'm just thinking I'm two for two for meeting generals and hitting them in the face. How did I manage that?"
"I hadn't expected you to swing, much less for my face." He smiled slightly. "I expected you to just shout and glare, or do something other than attack while on one foot."
"I think it's also a sign, Seth, that you are tired," Princess Eirika chided as she walked up, hair still dripping from where she'd taken a quick bath in the river nearby. General Seth looked up at the sky, likely because Princess Eirika's dress, already short, was clinging. "Hmm? What is it?"
"You didn't dry off properly," I explained, laughing a bit. She paused and glanced down, blushing badly. "You didn't notice?"
"I suppose I got distracted by the fact that there were no buttons on the back." She stepped behind me, and I noticed she hadn't put her boots back on yet. While she'd borrowed some of Monica's clothes for journey, she'd kept her shoes. "Seth, why don't you go ahead and wash up?"
"Meanwhile, I'll tease Princess Eirika for expecting fancy things from a villager." I snickered as she squeaked, and General Seth smiled slightly as he headed down for the river. When he was out of sight, I glanced back at her. "Buttons? These are the same clothes you were wearing before."
"Yes, but I was exhausted by everything that I didn't notice." She sulked a bit, and I shook my head, amused. "So, I noticed here, and so…"
"Well, the sun is shining. You'll dry out by the time he's done." I sat down on the grass and stretched, looking to the clear blue sky. It was surprising how bright it was, considering how much rain there had been recently. "He didn't sleep last night, did he?"
"No, he didn't." She sat down next to me, smoothing out her skirts to be all proper. "He didn't sleep the whole time he rode for… rode away from…" She sighed. "It's been a long few days."
"Yes, it has." I looked at her and realized something. "...I never apologized, did I?"
"Hmm?" She gave me a curious look. "For what?"
"For saying all those things about your brother, to your face, when you were hurting." I grimaced when she winced. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."
"Well…" She paused, clearly thinking of the words. "I can't say you were wrong. There are some things that I've scolded Ephraim about myself."
"But I could've at least picked a better time to be brutally honest." I would maintain that the words were true, but I didn't need to hurt her in the process, especially since she was so kind. "Next time, yell at me."
"Oh, but you were taking care of us."
"Seriously, just snap back, even if you think I'm right." I sighed. "Monica always did, and that's why I'm not even worse. When I was little, it was bad."
"Monica?" Her eyes lit up with curiosity, and I got a feeling she was using the subject change to avoid agreeing. "Who's that?"
"...My sister. She died, painfully, six months ago." I paused and then groaned. "Damn it. A simple 'she died' would've sufficed. I'm sorry."
"It's fine. My next question was going to be where was she." She laughed a bit, and I decided that maybe Princess Eirika was too kind to really be a good leader. But she tried, at least. "Now, about your earlier thing. Might we have a compromise?"
"Ah, the diplomacy you're famous for."
"I might as well use it for something!" She laughed again, and I found myself smiling. It was hard not to, around her. "I'm not sure I'll be able to yell. For one thing, my reaction was simple shock, and then trying to just avoid the topic. I'm not good with confrontations or arguing. Ephraim is too, actually." She paused and smiled slightly. "Well, with arguing. He tends to just… do his own thing, as you said, and everyone else can follow or get out of the way. I imagine that if you yelled at him like that, he'd just stare because he doesn't know what to do when people, you know, yell at him."
"I take it that it didn't happen often." I made my voice dry, and she giggled. "Well, when you reunite, find me, and I'll give him a verbal flaying."
"Ah! But…" She paused once again, and then gave me a curious look. "How about two compromises?"
"Let me hear them."
"The first is simply that each time you're brutally honest, I get to ask a question that you answer to the fullest extent that you can." She waited to see my reaction and, after a moment, I nodded. I understood what was meant by it. The question was likely to be something horribly awkward or uncomfortable, and would inflict the same discomfort on me that I inflicted on whoever I was brutally honest too. "The second is that you let me vent at you."
"I can agree to that, but note that I might need to wait on answering the question, depending on what it is." I smiled when she did. "Now, you mentioned venting?"
"Yes." She pouted. "I must admit to being very tempted, if only so that he can get some sort of lecture for just disappearing on us! I fear I'll be too relieved to see him."
"Oh, if you want him to get a lecture, I am definitely your girl." My smile widened as she laughed again. "Now, I made you uncomfortable before. You get… let's go with two questions."
"Two? I'll take it!" Her smile faded, though she kept her cheer. "Then the first is simple. Why are you so honest?"
"Well, part of it is because, as my sister loved scolding me for, I talk first, and think second. Part of it is my mother's fault. No one trusts a lying mercenary, and so, she was a stickler about lying. I'm not as much, but I definitely took after her on that." I paused, feeling uncomfortable, but pushed through. This was why this was her suggested compromise, after all. "The third part is because I'm very used to people dying on me by now. I don't want to waste my time lying, unless I'm having to protect someone."
"Used to people dying?" Eirika looked confused. "We can use that as the second question."
"Of course." I sighed, and flopped onto my back to look at the sky. "Well, it's basically what I said. I'm used to people dying, or just disappearing. My parents died when I was young. I lost most of my friends, including my best friend and my boyfriend, two years ago. My sister died six months ago. And her husband…" I trailed off, wondering if this would become too 'blunt', but decided to go for it. "He's one of the knights Prince Ephraim took with him."
"...No wonder you're very uncharitable with him." Princess Eirika leaned back too. "Must be Orson. Kyle and Forde don't have wives, and Ephraim told me that Orson's wife had died recently and wasn't feeling well."
"He noticed?" That honestly surprised me.
"Ephraim is very observant!" She grinned. "He's just… shy when it comes to showing affection. Not lazy. Well, mostly not lazy."
"Huh." I thought about trying to retort, but decided not to. After all, while I might have a better idea about 'Prince' Ephraim, as he was viewed by his people, she was the authority when it actually came to his personality. "I'm still going to verbally flay him, if only because he abandoned us, and left you alone to deal with all of this."
"To what degree?"
"It depends on when we meet him, I suppose." It felt odd, talking about this, but in a strange way, I thought it helped her. We talked as if Prince Ephraim was still alive, after all, as if there was no question to it. I knew how important that was, to some people. It was scary, and I couldn't find that courage. But she could, and that was really, really cool, if worrisome. "I will try to make it proportional to the worry you experience, though, and not exceed. If I do, you get three questions instead of the one you'll get normally."
"I think that'll work out just fine." She laughed again, and then pointed up to a cloud. "That one looks like a bunny, doesn't it?"
"The one next to it is definitely a kitty." And so we slowly turned out conversation to simply finding shapes in the clouds, and playfully arguing about which ones were which.
It felt… strange, because I hadn't done something like this in a while. I always intended to, to keep the memories of my friends alive, but I'd always put it off for… nothing. But, it was fun. I hadn't thought I could have fun again.
When General Seth returned, Princess Eirika was dried, but funnily enough, her hair frizzed out badly, so I was working on trying to tame it while laughing. General Seth genuinely thought we'd hit our heads, and we threatened to brush down his hair in retaliation. It was a strangely playful morning, considering everything, but I thought that might be why. When Mary, Jacob, and… everyone had died, Monica had done her best to be playful and chipper to help brighten up my day. Same with Orson. It was just… something to try and keep from falling apart when everything else was.
Alone, I never had the energy to do that. It never seemed important, or I'd just… put everything off for 'later'. But Princess Eirika was determined to keep strong, and it was hard to not try and keep up with her. That said, all measures of cheer and playfulness died when we reached Mulan, rather like all the civilians strewn about the place.
"Well, it looks a little better than what was going on back home. Maybe," I murmured, dismounting. I crouched down to pick up a little doll, just out of reach of a dead little girl with bright blue ribbons tying back her hair. "I hadn't actually seen much of what was going on there." I tucked the doll underneath her, and tried to wrap her arm around it. But she was stiff, and her arm wouldn't move at all. "The smell is worse, though." It might've made my stomach roll, but I was in too much shock to really process that. "Smells like an animal carcass in the woods."
"It seems Grado forces have pushed farther ahead than I'd thought," General Seth murmured. He kept a tight grip on both of the horses, since they were skittish. The smell of smoke from the nearby buildings made them nervy. "We should bypass Mulan and-"
"But, Seth, we're here," Princess Eirika whispered, dismounting at last. She gestured to the burning buildings nearby. "How can we simply stand aside? How can I say I will restore Renais if I let Grado get away with these atrocities?" She turned to me, eyes pleading. "What do you think?"
"I think you and Prince Ephraim should've both left the recklessness back in the womb," I deadpanned. I sighed, though, and gave her a wry smile. "Well, I'm here. I can't just stand aside and not help someone when I'm literally right here."
"Precisely!" She turned back to General Seth, who looked tempted to just clock us both over the head and carry us past. "Please?"
"There are three of us," General Seth pointed out. He paused, though, and glanced towards the battlefield. "However, this seems to be just a small group, and there's little doubt that Frelia will have more reinforcements here before long." He sighed heavily. "Oh, very well, we may try. However, you must be cautious, and listen to me if I say we must retreat."
"That didn't take much," I noted dryly. I took my lance, a slim one that General Seth had 'acquired' from an abandoned village on the way, from Peachblossom's saddle, and she reached around to nuzzle my face. "What will we do with her? I can barely fight on my own two feet, much less on a horse."
"We'll have to trust her to take care of herself, I'm afraid." General Seth unhooked his own lance. "Princess Eirika…"
"I have my rapier," Princess Eirika replied. She held it up as proof, and I noticed her hand shaking slightly. "I fear we'll be relying on you, though, Seth."
"It is my duty, and pleasure, your highness," General Seth reassured. He still looked hesitant, though. "Stay close together. You're both new to battle, and these louts will likely show little mercy."
"We will. We'll focus more on the villages, away from the fortress where they seem to be clustered."
"Very good." General Seth nodded. "Stay safe."
He rode ahead, falling on the Grado forces like a damn tornado, but with a lot more blood. Princess Eirika and I exchanged looks of 'well, he lives up to the reputation' and ran into the nearby village. I glanced back, worried about Peachblossom, but she was already skirting the edges of where the battle seemed to be. I worried she might not come back, but then again, if everyone else had left me, why wouldn't a horse? At least she'd be safe.
The village, really more of a cluster of houses at this point, had few people still within, mostly because they'd been pinned by the fallen rubble of their houses. A few died as we tried to pull them out, but a few stayed alive. They were strangely helpful with advice, but more importantly, told us that 'Princess Tana' had arrived here not long before Grado did, assisting with evacuations into the fortress. Meaning she was within there with a bunch of other civilians.
Princess Eirika, of course, panicked, and wanted to push forward. I'd pointed out that we had civilians, and she had calmed and agreed that we needed to see them safely away first. While trying to do that, though, we had Grado soldiers upon us. I noticed she had difficulties fighting the lance users and I had problems with the axes, so she and I fought back to back, and I handled the lancers while she fought the axe users. As we fought, I noticed how much easier it was to fight, guarding her. When alone, I… I didn't want them to kill me, necessarily, but I didn't really feel like fighting back either. But when I was protecting someone, I did. I refused… to just stand aside, when I was right here, able to do something.
At same point, I heard some sort of odd clamoring to the north, and I looked up, worried that I'd see more Grado forces. But, instead, I saw a flag of greens and golds, with a brilliant bird in flight stitched on it. I knew it from Orson's stories: that was the crest of Frelia.
"Hey…" I began. My voice rasped, and I was aware of how utterly exhausted I was, and how dry my throat was. "Princess-"
"You know; we're fighting back to back," she immediately retorted. Her voice sounded even worse than mine. "Just call me Eirika."
"Well, I guess the title is stupid right now anyway." I almost said 'since Renais had fallen', but I managed to bite my tongue in time and come up with a different reason. "You look the part of a princess, but there's no reason to announce it."
"Precisely." She leaned back against me briefly, and I heard her sigh. "So, what is it?"
"Oh, yeah, there's people to the north there, and I think that's Frelia's flag."
"Really?" She made a little squeak, and then actually cheered. "Reinforcements! That is precisely what we needed!" She managed a laugh. "Oh, I see Franz! He made it!"
"Franz?"
"The only other knight who managed to escape with Seth and me. Seth sent him ahead to let Frelia know what was going on." Princess Eirika laughed again. "Looks like Seth has gone to meet them." She nudged me. "Let's just… hold out a bit more for the villagers."
"That sounds good to me." I grimaced as I noticed some soldiers coming up from the rear, aka the way we had come from. "Behind."
"Right!" Princess Eirika and I twisted to face our new enemies, doing our best to work together. The fight, though, was easier than I would've expected. I knocked one's helmet off, and thought the soldier might've been even younger than me. I wondered if we were actually fighting new recruits for Grado's army, those with as much experience, or even less, as Eirika and myself.
But then the thought passed, because there was no time to think. You couldn't think during a battle, really. Everything was focused on trying to not die, to stay alive. It was much harder than it sounded. It was a relief when the last one fell and Eirika and I met General Seth, this Sir Franz, and the captain of the forces who helped us, Sir Gilliam.
I left them to talk and wandered towards the nearby lake, mostly because I could see Peachblossom there, drinking from it. I stumbled, though, under the soft sand, and stepped into the water with a splash. I didn't think much of it, until I noticed the strange bits of crimson and pink that rippled out from where I'd stepped. I glanced down and froze at my reflection. I was covered in blood and gore. Which made sense. I'd killed people. Not a lot. Maybe ten. But I'd killed people today, so it made sense I was messy.
...I'd killed people…
That realization hit me like a rock to the head. I covered my mouth as my stomach rolled, and I clutched the lance when I finally noticed how badly I was shaking. I didn't want to lose it. I didn't want to lose anything at the moment. Not even my lunch or breakfast, or whatever the last meal I had was called. I wanted my parents. I wanted my friends. I wanted my sister. I wanted Orson.
A sound made me jerk up, and I saw General Seth standing near, holding up a towel. I hesitantly nodded and he came over to wipe the blood off of, at least, my hair and face. When I started crying, he said nothing. He simply gave me a bit of spiced candy that helped settle my stomach, and let me cry as the shock rippled through me.
Orson was right. General Seth was a really nice person.
After getting toweled off, I was escorted within the fortress and more or less thrown into a bath. Some village women actually attempted to help me bath, but that was about the time I yelped, and batted them away, mortified that they thought I could clean myself. Of course, I realized soon after it was because they'd been worried about me scrubbing my skin raw, but I'd caught myself before I did that. I made sure to apologize to the woman who helped me dry off and change into some clothes, simple but soft, far finer than what I'd worn before. She'd simply smiled and patted my cheek, reassuring me quietly that it was fine, before switching to bandaging the little scrapes and bruises that I'd gotten, but hadn't noticed because of my shock. I was still mortified by all of it.
After getting dried off, I was nudged towards a study of some sort, where a girl in a fine dress talked with Sir Gilliam, looking contrite. Princess Eirika wasn't far behind me, looking as drained as I felt. However, her face lit up instantly as she suddenly squealed in pure shock and utter delight and bolted for the girl, tackling her with a hug. However, the girl instantly returned the hug, and laughed. I wondered if this girl was Princess Tana. It was well known that she and Eirika were good friends.
I hung back as the two of them chatted, gaining something about Prince Ephraim and how General Seth and Sir Franz were on patrol, but not really paying attention. I really just wanted to pass out, exhausted in a completely different way than usual. So, it was a total shock when Princess Tana broke off from her talk with Eirika and tackled me with a hug. I froze up, startled, and unbidden, I thought of the last time I'd been pinned, of how Valter had snatched me, and…
"Oh, sorry!" Princess Tana instantly jumped back, and looked genuinely apologetic. "I should've asked first," she sad, drooping a little. "I'm so sorry."
"It's fine," I mumbled, feeling unsettled of how quickly I'd remembered that. I also felt really confused by a princess suddenly hugging anyway, much less a stranger. "...If you give me warning, I can take a hug."
"Then, may I hug you again?"
"You may." I still tensed a bit when she did hug me, but it was a much calmer hug the second time round, and I relaxed pretty quickly. She reminded me of Eirika, actually. It was easy to see why they were good friends. "But, ah… who are you?" I had a guess, of course, but I'd better be polite and not assume.
"Oh, right." She pulled away and curtseyed. "I'm Princess Tana of Frelia. Eirika was just telling me how you took care of her and Seth, and I just had to hug you for it. They're so dear and I've been so worried!"
"It's… nothing. I just had to help. They were soaked, and pneumonia is… bad."
"It is! I had it once. It sucked, and I was lucky enough to have healers." She smiled sweetly. "But enough of that! Here, let me show you and Eirika to your rooms. You must be exhausted!"
There was a bit more talking, and then a whirl of movement, and suddenly, I was in a simple room, all on my own. I'd sprawled out on the bed instantly, intending to just pass out. But when my head hit the pillow, I paused, realizing the smell was different. In Renais, pillows and blankets were often scented with lavender, since it was abundant in Renais. But this pillow smelled of… sandalwood. I only knew it because Orson had once brought some home after a mission to Frelia. Frelians often used it as a calming scent.
That, more than anything, told me that I wasn't home. But from there, I focused on how the sheets were a simple off-white thing, with plain brown blankets, instead of the blotchy sheets back home, badly cleaned from numerous stains over years, with the embroidered quilt that Monica had made, that I'd hung onto instead of moving to Orson's townhouse in Ivroria. The walls of the room were solid stones of perfect bricks, instead of the wood of my house, absently patched here and there over the years. The candles on the nightstand were a plain white, instead of the various pinks Monica insisted on, because she'd loved the color pink, and Orson and I couldn't help but indulge her.
I wasn't home. Likely, my home was burned to the ground, by this point.
The realization made my eyes burn and I swung up, rubbing at my eyes roughly. I didn't want to cry. If I cried, I knew I wouldn't stop for a long while. It was just… something I did. I would hold back tears for everything, and then something would break the dam and I'd cry for everything that had happened these past six months. But I didn't want to cry just yet. I wanted to wait for Orson, and cry on his shoulder like I've done in the past. I wanted by 'brother' home before I cried. That well, it would feel like the nightmare was over.
So, I pushed myself up and walked out of the room, the stone cold under my bare feet. My shoes had been ruined by the mud and blood of the fight, and had been confiscated along with my clothes. I had a feeling that they'd be burned, meaning I'd lose that little connection to home as well. But there was no choice if they were ruined. I couldn't wear ruined clothes everywhere.
Moonlight caught me full on in the face, and I blinked at the sudden bit of light, even if it wasn't that harsh. Everything had been dark, and I hadn't expected to venture onto a balcony or some sort in my wanderings. I stepped towards the railing, and looked out over the horizon, just taking it in. It was pretty. I could admit that. But I could see even from here some blossoms that I knew didn't grow near my home, and there were certainly no lakes so close by. I wasn't home. Coming out here really made that clear.
"Are you homesick?" Princess Tana walked up slowly, and I realized she had called when she was quite a distance away, likely so that I had time to relax when she was by me. "I would be," she murmured. She looked out over everything too, and smiled sadly. "I love my home, but I imagine you'd prefer Renais."
"Well, Renais technically doesn't exist anymore," I retorted. I paused and winced at how blunt it was. "Sorry, that was…"
"I happily disagree with you." She smiled sweetly, unbothered by my bluntness. "Renais isn't a simple castle. Renais, like all countries, is the people. So long as people like you exist, Emma, Renais lives. And so long as Ephraim and Eirika are alive, they can rebuild your homes."
"...Well, I'll give you the Eirika part, even if I worry she's too nice." I grimaced as she looked confused. "No, no, don't ask. I'm liable to say exactly what I think, it's not flattering, and he's missing. I'd rather not talk ill about him to someone desperately worried. Again."
"Again?"
"I did it to Eirika, without thinking about it." I sighed heavily. I still felt horrible about that.
"Perhaps a short version?" She looked curious now. "Please?"
"...Prince Ephraim isn't well liked by his people, for numerous reasons that I shall not go into." I spoke slowly, mostly because I had to bite my tongue on every other word. Once literally. "That's all."
"Oh, huh. Innes always says Ephraim is his rival to being the 'perfect king' or something."
"From what I hear from merchants, your brother is more popular among his people than Prince Ephraim."
"What?" She actually looked startled. "Oh, but he's horribly tactless and blunt, always says exactly what's on his mind, has no sense of empathy whatsoever!" She paused. "...Well, I mean, he can be nice. Sometimes. Maybe." She flushed as I started snickering. "What?"
"I was just thinking he sounds like me."
"You clearly have a heart. Sometimes, I'm not sure he does." She huffed and grumbled more unflattering things under her breath. "Ephraim, however, is a perfect gentleman, if oblivious."
"He doesn't exactly showcase that side to his people, if he has it." I tried not to wince as I said the last bit. That wasn't fair. "Your brother, however, does show that while he might have poor people skills, he is committed to doing his duty. That's a key difference."
"Do people not want a kind ruler?"
"Of course, but we want a ruler we can trust to actually do things instead of sneaking off to enemy territory, with only three guards, for personal glory or some nonsense, because who cares that people are getting slaughtered and…" I trailed off when I noticed her wince and groaned. "I did it again. I'm sorry. You get a question."
"...Question?" Her wince faded for sheer confusion. "What question?"
"It's a thing Eirika and I set up. When I make someone uncomfortable by being too honest, she gets to ask a question. I'm extending it to you."
"Oh." She frowned in thought. "Aw, but I can't think of anything! That isn't generic, I mean. Can I save it?"
"Sure, you can. You might need to remind me, though."
"Done." She laughed, back to her high spirits. "Ah, I'm glad I snuck out, even if I did cause trouble."
"You snuck out?"
"Yep." She smiled, but there was seriousness in her eyes. "I was worried. I knew that if Eirika had escaped, she'd head for this point on the border. I wanted her to see a familiar face. I also thought that maybe this area would need help with evacuations, and I was right."
"It was dangerous."
"Yes, but I expected danger. I… got over my head, yes, but I didn't come here expecting it to be sunshines and rainbows." She sighed and looked up to the sky. "The world is going mad. I hope we can go back to sunshine and sanity soon."
"We'll see about that." I rested my arms on the railing. "What are you doing up?"
"I was checking that my pegasus was fine. He got injured during everything, the poor sweetie." She smiled warmly. "But if you'd like to still talk, I'm up for it. You look tired, but not sleepy."
"That seems like a good summary." I smiled back. It felt more natural, these past few days, to smile. "Then, if you don't mind, can you tell me a bit more about Frelia? I only know the stories my brother-in-law told me, and he was only ever here on missions."
"Sure!" She launched in a bunch of little tales, from what Frelia was known for, to some popular folk stories, to even her training as a pegasus knight. I got the impression that she was probably as naive and sheltered as Eirika, but she was also well aware of it, and wanted to expand her horizons, to be a 'proper princess' of Frelia, and to gain the respect of her father and brother.
If I closed my eyes, it was so easy to imagine her as Monica, just chattering about her day. I made sure to keep my opens though. I wanted to hear more, and it would be a disservice to Princess Tana to think of her as someone else.
Notes on Franz:
A 16 year old cavalier, a recent knight of Renais
As can be expected for his age, he is sincere and earnest, determined to serve his country to the best of his abilities. He's rather nervous and shy, though.
The son of a knight, and the younger brother of another, he looks up to General Seth and his brother, Forde, and strives to be like them.
Notes on Gilliam:
A 29 year old armored knight, a long-serving knight of Frelia
Known for his quiet, and dependable nature. Since he has served for so long, he has numerous friends among the knights. Heads the Eastern Watch.
Slow due to his heavy armor, but that suits him fine. He takes his job as a living shield seriously, shown by how he had to learn and adapt the Frelian fighting style to suit his left-handedness.
Author's note: And here we have the first official chapter, showcasing subtly how Eirika and Ephraim are both ridiculously reckless, the difference is that Seth indulges her in this for tutorial purposes (and there's less people here). Actually, Eirika and Ephraim are probably the same on the 'reckless' scale; they're more similar than people tend to think. Gilliam's animations shown him as righthanded like other knights (likely because of graphical limitations), but his supports with Garcia specifically mention him being lefthanded.
Right, so, Emma's growth rates (remember she has an extra ten levels like the other trainees):
HP - 80%, Str - 50%, Skl - 50%, Spd - 50%, Lck - 15%, Def - 35%, Res - 35%
Next Chapter - Interlude, Decisions
